Viola Sprague
Flint Journal reporter Shaun Byron recently wrote about small companies in Genesee County that are having success providing IT and App development services to larger companies. Among the experts quoted in the story was Viola Sprague, Kettering University vice president of information technology:
Officials with smaller tech companies in the area are saying their growth is a result of mobile devices increasingly becoming workplace tools. The expansion has also been spurred by businesses outsourcing information technology departments to reduce costs.
Several businesses are performing the cost-benefit analysis of outsourcing IT services, looking for what makes the most sense financially, said Viola Sprague, vice president of information technology for Kettering University.
The number of students enrolled in the university’s tech programs has shown standard growth, but the course work has continued to evolve to reflect changes in the industry, Sprague said.
One example of a trend cited by local tech companies is the increased desire for mobile applications.
Mobile devices aren’t a required for class, but equipping employees with some kind of smart device is something almost every industry is looking at, she said.
“I don’t see it going away,” Sprague said. “You have to participate in it.”
